Foreword
The International Center for Human Rights Research (CIIDH) and the Mutual Support Group (GAM) are pleased to present this publication, the first in the Historical Notebook series to be produced by CIIDH in conjunction with various Guatemalan grassroots and human rights organizations.
This initial work, entitled "Draining the Sea: An Analysis of Terror in Three Communities in Rural Guatemala, 1980-1984," endeavors to present various aspects of the political violence suffered by the Guatemalan people during that period. The information presented here includes preliminary statistics drawn from the data base currently being compiled by CIIDH based on written sources and interviews with witnesses or victims who survived the violence.
CIIDH and GAM are grateful to all of the individuals and institutions who have made this effort possible, particularly the Center for Research and International Cooperation of Canada (CECI), through the Fund for Democratic Development (FDD), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the General Services Foundation, and other sister organizations whose support has been indispensable.
Guatemala, June 1996